Guernsey-based fund administrator Ipes has installed House-on-the-Hill’s SupportDesk software to help achieve compliance with the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and streamline its service.

The new system, which replaces SiteHelpdesk, ‘strengthens our interaction with end-users to further our continual service improvement, said Tim Andrews, Head of Development & Technology.

Ipes, which has some 110 staff, is using SupportDesk’s ITIL configuration package to support its departmental Incident, Problem, Change, Release and Event Management processes. Compliance with ITIL – internationally accepted guidelines for Best Practice in IT Service Management – is intended to be a step towards ISO/SAS70 certification in 2010. SAS 70 is an auditing standard designed to enable an independent auditor to evaluate a service organisation’s controls.

Calls are now being tracked more easily, interaction with the Helpdesk is more immediate, and performance is more measurable, Andrews said. Ipes also expects a resulting reduction in service desk traffic as users access the product’s knowledge base, and processes are systemised and scheduled.

SupportDesk’s financial management module is helping provide an accurate cost per service. Ipes often charges on a time spent basis so establishing and monitoring Key Performance Indicators for technology service are directly related to profitability. No software provider we talked to satisfied every ITIL requirement in every service area, Andrews added. House-on-the-Hill satisfied more than most and demonstrated a clear focus on being an ITSM solution rather than a helpdesk service with occasional bolt-ons. Before opting for SupportDesk Ipes also considered .Biz, Remedy, Frontrange, Manage Engine and AdventNet.

Asked about House-on-the-Hill’s after-sales support, Andrews commented: I receive straight answers to straight questions which are right first time. You can’t get better than that.